10 College Football Prospects to Watch for Dynasty & Devy Leagues (2022)

If you’re a dynasty fantasy football player, you love being ahead of your league mates on young players. While most dynasty players wait until after the season to dig into the incoming rookie class, Devy players dive into these prospects while they are still in college. Regardless of which format you play, it’s great to have an inside scoop on the future. Here are 10 college football prospects to watch this season who will impact your dynasty rosters in the near future.

Bijan Robinson (RB – Texas)

The crown jewel of the 2023 class, Robinson possesses all the traits that make up an elite running back. His burst and acceleration jump off the tape, along with his lateral agility, cutting ability, and overall elusiveness. He demonstrates excellent vision and balance as a runner is a plus in the receiving game, and is the ideal size at a mighty 215 pounds.

Robinson is a contender to lead the nation in rushing in 2022. An entire season of games played could lead to a Heisman-finalist season.

CJ Stroud (QB – Ohio State)

Stroud knows how to throw the football. He is incredibly accurate, makes great decisions and has the arm strength to make every throw on the field. He is athletic enough to extend plays and excels at throwing on the run. While some elite throwers of the football need to see a receiver open before unleashing a pass, Stroud shows impressive instinctual ability, regularly throwing guys open. He is a total package when it comes to passing traits and has flashed every NFL throw while at Ohio State.

Stroud should be the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy in 2022. He was more efficient than Heisman winner Bryce Young last year and returns his top receiver target in Jaxson Smith-Njigba.

Bryce Young, QB, Alabama

Young has a realistic shot of winning his second consecutive Heisman trophy. It’s most likely a two-person race between him and Stroud. While Young’s receiving room is more of a mixed bag than it has been, it’s never been a problem for Alabama to reload. Young should throw for another 4,500 yards and 45 TDs in 2022.

Jahmyr Gibbs (RB – Alabama)

Gibbs is a prototype of what fantasy managers want in a running back. He is such a great pass catcher that he could be a Christian McCaffrey-esque receiving weapon who exceeds 100 receptions in the NFL. Gibbs is explosive, shifty in open space, and has excellent long speed as a runner. He even hits the 200-pound mark that NFL scouts like to see and is now at NFL running back factory Alabama.

Playing for middling Georgia Tech, Gibbs’ stats were never what had people excited; it’s the skill set he puts on tape. He will have the opportunity to show that skill set to the masses while at Alabama in 2022, surpassing his best statistical season to date.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba (WR – Ohio State)

Smith-Njigba is a well-rounded receiver with a deep bag of tools. He’s an explosive, sudden athlete who manipulates defenders with his eyes and his movement. His body control is excellent, allowing everything he does to seem effortless. He’s got strong hands and plays with good physicality. He isn’t the guy who will drop people’s jaws in an NFL Combine setting, but his complete skill set and insane production should land him in the first round.

Smith-Njigba did something crazy in 2021. He outperformed not only one but both of his first-round NFL Draft pick teammates, both of whom were older than him. Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson took a back seat to Smith-Njigba, who now returns for his junior year as the unquestioned top target for the Buckeyes. Expect another 1,500-plus-yard season from JSN with double-digit touchdowns and potentially 100 receptions.

Kayshon Boutte (WR – LSU)

Boutte is a freak athlete who is a man among boys in the SEC. He is just flat-out more athletic than his opponents, regularly making defenders look silly trying to cover him. He quickly creates separation and loses defenders with an array of jukes and cuts. His lateral agility is as impressive as his long speed, making him a home run waiting to happen. He even excels in contested-catch situations in the rare instances when he doesn’t lose his defender. If he’s healthy, he’s the most talented receiver in the country.

LSU brings in a new coaching regime in 2022, with Brian Kelly arriving from Notre Dame. At QB, they return a mixed bag with starter Max Johnson transferring to Texas A&M. Boutte is also coming back from injury and has nothing left to prove in college. He could play an entire season and light it up statistically or sit out and prepare for the NFL combine; neither would be a surprise.

Tre’Veyon Henderson, RB, Ohio State

Henderson is the crown jewel of the 2024 class. Echoing the sentiment from Bijan Robinson, this is the sort of special player who usually comes around every handful of years. Right now, there are two in back-to-back classes with Robinson and Henderson. Henderson has the ideal size the NFL looks for in a running back and pairs that with elite speed, as he has run a sub-4.4 40 and a sub-11.0 100-meter. Patience, vision, balance, burst, hands, elusiveness — the list goes on. Henderson has it all.

Ohio State brings back a talented receiving room yet again but not a wholly proven one like in 2021. Expect the Buckeyes to rely on their best skill player for a more significant workload in 2022. With more carries and involvement in the receiving game, Henderson could be a fringe Heisman contender in 2022.

Caleb Williams (QB – USC)

Williams is the only QB on this list who is a true dual threat. Sure, all these guys can move around a bit, but Williams can make you pay on the ground. He thrives in and out of a structure and can make every throw with incredible arm strength. Williams is that dream combination of arm talent and athleticism that NFL teams and fantasy managers covet.

Williams follows his head coach Lincoln Riley and his high-flying offense from Oklahoma to USC. WR Mario Williams joins them on the trip from Norman to Los Angeles and is joined in the receiver room by Belitnikoff winner Jordan Addison from Pittsburgh. Riley and Williams have better weapons than they did last year and a lot to prove in Year 1. Expect a monster season from Williams, who could become a Heisman finalist.

Quinn Ewers (QB – Texas)

Ewers is the highest ranked QB in the history of the 247Sports composite recruiting rankings. He possesses elite passing traits across the board and is athletic enough to excel within a structure or while improvising. His ability to utilize any arm angle while maintaining accuracy and velocity is astonishing. He reads defenses well, plays confidently, and can make any throw at any level of the field. Oh, and he has a gorgeous blonde mullet; what’s not to like?

Ewers is the starting QB for Texas entering the 2022 season. Steve Sarkisian is a sharp offensive mind and should help Ewers maximize his talent. The talent around Ewers is bountiful, as he will have Bijan Robinson and Xavier Worthy, among others, to target. Ewers hasn’t played football in a couple of years, so expect some early rust. But once he settles in, there will be a lot of offensive fireworks in Austin.

Marvin Harrison Jr. (WR – Ohio State)

Harrison is a fundamentally sound technician with a Hall of Fame bloodline and a tremendous physical build. He’s gained over 10 pounds of muscle since arriving at Ohio State and is now filling out that 6-foot-3 frame with muscle. As you would expect, he is good at the things his dad was good at. He’s a great route runner, his depth and breaks are precise, he has strong hands, and he looks natural in his movements. Junior is different from Senior because he projects as a red zone threat with that big body. If he can put both ends of his game together, watch out.

Harrison steps into a starting outside receiver role in Ohio State’s prolific offense in 2022. With the departures of Olave and Wilson, Harrison and his classmate Emeka Egbuka step in. Harrison should consistently get the outside receiving work this year for the Buckeyes, which means massive statistics, as QB CJ Stroud is a Heisman favorite. Expect a 1,000-plus yard season for Harrison in 2022.

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